Maritimers urged to get flu shot after H1N1 spike in Alberta
Atlantic.ctvnews.ca
January 6, 2014
Many Maritimers are scrambling to get flu shots after an outbreak of H1N1 in western Canada. Nearly 1,000 cases of H1N1 have been reported in Alberta and five people have died.
Moncton-area pharmacist Cindy Gillam recommends everyone get vaccinated but says some people are more likely to get sick than others.
“Young kids, older individuals, there’s high-risk populations, such as those with asthma, chronic heart conditions, anyone that’s over 65, under 16, everybody really,” says Gillam.
In Nova Scotia, the deputy chief medical officer of health is encouraging all residents to get a flu shot and take other precautions to avoid getting sick and spreading the disease.
“So far we are seeing a typical flu season in Nova Scotia and we can expect to see our number of cases rise in the coming weeks,” said Dr. Frank Atherton in a news release.
“H1N1 is now one of the strains we see every year and it is included in the vaccination. We know that some other Canadian provinces are seeing serious illness among unvaccinated people and this underlines the importance of getting a flu shot.”
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